What’s up guys? I hope you had a great weekend.
Although I doubt it was as wild as the one my friend Mike had a few weeks back.
Mike came into my gym for the first time as a skinny 12 year old.
His dad hired me to get him bigger and stronger for football and wrestling. At the time I was only training regular people, still earning my chops as a beginner personal trainer helping people lose fat.
But I really wanted to get into high performance training and help guys get bigger, stronger and faster.
So Mike became the first one that I’d get to start training “Renegade style.”
That was eighteen years ago.
Last month Mike turned 30, and an epic celebration went down in New York City. Unfortunately and regrettably I couldn’t make the flight back from LA but I was there in spirit with my brother.
I trained Mike all throughout eighth grade, high school and college where he led Gettysburg in rushing.
Over the years we became closer and closer. Soon I started thinking of him as a little brother. Then when he graduated and got to the point where the age difference wasn’t as relevant anymore I simply started to look at him as a friend.
And eventually one of my closest friends and brothers.
The bond we built was forged in the weight room. From day one Mike always worked as hard or harder than everyone else.
He immediately earned my respect because of it.
When the older guys broke his balls, as they often did with the young pups, he took it in stride and kept coming back stronger the next day. He knew that one day he’d be the big dog in there.
Eventually that day came and Mike was always around to motivate, mentor and punk out (when needed) the younger newbies at Renegade.
A couple years after he graduated Mike and I started spending more and more time together and shared many grueling training sessions where the intensity and competition was through the roof.
The master and the student going to battle. Then going out to drink a few beers, pound some steaks and crack each other up afterwards (Mike’s got a killer sense of humor).
Outside the gym we’ve had some legendary times, although most of them would be a bit too R-rated for even this blog. If we ever meet up for a drink, remind me and I’ll tell you some.
Training is Life
Today, Mike earns a great living and resides in an amazing apartment in New York City, living the dream. This, of course, the result of his relentless work ethic and hustle that I’ve watched and admired for nearly twenty years.
A lot has changed since the first time I met Mike but the one thing that remains constant is his commitment to training and nutrition plan. No matter how busy or stressed out he his Mike always makes the time to get the gym for at least four hard Renegade style workouts per week and always keeps himself in top shape by strictly adhering to The Renegade Diet.
Many of his teammates and the kids he used to train with at Renegade every summer have long stopped training, content to get fat and lazy. But not Mike. There’s no shot in hell of that ever happening.
When we started he was barely a hundred pounds. He eventually played at close to 220 and now maintains a rock solid 190-200 year round.
For two people who once saw each other on a daily basis we spend far less time together nowadays than I’d like. Living on opposite sides of the country kind of gets in the way of that.
But whenever he comes out here to visit or I’m back East we always get in as many workouts together as possible. It’s often the first thing we do. Just writing about it right now is getting me jacked up to move some weight.
Mike’s focus is no longer competitive sports, but he’s still in there hittin’ it hard, day in and day out. Getting stronger, getting better, and easing the stress of the daily grind. And he still competes regularly and never backs down from a challenge. See the pic of the Tough Mudder above.
He knows that sound body equals sound mind and that he would be nowhere near as successful in the business world and as he is in social circles (if ya know what I mean) without his weekly training regimen.
The discipline and work ethic you develop over the course of thousands of hours spent in the gym carryover to all other aspects of your life.
Once you develop an unbreakable bond with the iron it becomes part of you.
As a member of the Renegade Nation you know exactly what I’m talking about.
When times are good we train.
When times are bad we train.
It’s what we know, what we do and what we love.
PS. You can save 60% on The Renegade Diet & The Renegade Recipe Guide during our Cyber Monday sale which is going on until midnight. Click HERE now to take advantage of this special offer.
